Mythic Figures Spooking Dubya
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by William Hughes
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"Myths which are believed in tend to become true." - George Orwell
Since the release of the Iraq Study Group report, have you noticed how President George W. Bush, is displaying more often those wild, piercing eyes? Can you see the fear? He's like a character in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment," who has claimed special privileges for himself--like a license to commit crimes--but has been found out! What might be spooking Bush? Could it be his coming impeachment trial by the U.S. Congress? Impeachment is a train without any brakes that has long since left the station. And, with the revelation of every massive lie of the Bush-Cheney Gang, the train picks up even more speed.
Keep in mind, that former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY) of Watergate Congressional fame has cautioned that the momentum for impeachment takes time to build. (1) However, House Speaker- Designate, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), shouldn't use that as an excuse to block the clear will of the voters as expressed in the election results of Nov. 7, 2006. The people have demanded change, with accountability. Green Party activists in San Francisco are saying that if Pelosi fails to pursue impeachment, then she will have "betrayed her oath of office." If she wants to serve more than one term as House Speaker, she better start listening.
The second item that may be scaring the bejeezus out of Bush is that splendid activist: Cindy Sheehan. My theory is this: Sheehan is the mother of U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, who was killed in action in Iraq, at age 24, on April 4, 2004. She is also the co- founder of Gold Star Families for Peace. In the summer of 2005, Sheehan decided to "camp" outside the Crawford, Texas ranch of President George W. Bush. She was looking to confront him personally over the death of her dear son, her first born, whom she has described as "my sweet boy." (2) Bush, supposedly, one of the most powerful men on the planet, declined to meet with her saying that he had "to get on with his life." (3) Sheehan then moved her In-Bush's- Face campaign to Washington, D.C. She can be seen regularly protesting the blood stained Iraqi War outside the White House and/or in the halls of the U.S. Congress. She has been arrested a couple of times for her antiwar activism. Bush, on the other hand, thinks nothing of sending young Americans to die in Iraq for a rotten pack of lies. (4) Yet, he is afraid to take on a housewife, age 49, a mother of four, from Vacaville, California. What is it about Sheehan that spooks the President of the United States? (5)
Does Bush know, at some place in his badly-warped psyche, that he's a pathological liar? I suspect that he does. He also does feel guilt about leading the country into an immoral and illegal war. Sheehan reinforces Bush's guilty feelings by pointing the finger at him--by demanding a face to face meeting with the person she rightly holds responsible for her son's death. For Bush, however, a personal confrontation with her is out of the question, nor for that matter, will he consider meeting with any other outraged parent who has lost a son or daughter in Iraq. President Bush isn't afraid of Sheehan for who she is. He's in fear of her for what she represents to him, at a deep level, although I doubt he is conscious of that. Sheehan is a symbol to him of an ultra powerful image, wrapped in an ancient myth. From a mythological perspective, she is an "Earth Mother" figure. (6)
In many cultures, the Earth Mother was esteemed by the masses as an archetypical female icon. She was also seen as a fierce seeker of justice and as a protector of the weak. The Earth Mother was capable, too, of counteracting evil. No wonder poor Dubya is shaking in his cowboy boots! He's up against someone, who will not accept anything less than full justice for the wrongful death of her son. You go Cindy girl!
"Earth Mother" Sheehan is something for Bush to worry about. But, there is another more imposing figure from the ancient past shaping up in the hinterlands, and urban centers, of the nation, to take Dubya down for his wrongdoings. Let's call him/her the "Hero/ Patriot." Joseph Campbell wrote a lot about that persona. In the halcyon days of Rome, he was Cincinnatus, who left his farm, to take over the army to save the Republic from its enemies. This Hero/ Patriot represents a growing community-an awaken populous--who are sick and tired of the crimes of the Bush-Cheney Gang. He/she want their America back from the War Party, the Wirepullers, the Neocons and the Plutocrats.
The spiritual roots of the Hero/Patriot can be traced back to the gallant Continental Army at Valley Forge and the horrific winter of 1777-78. (7) He/she was on the blood stained battlefields of the Civil War, like Clara Barton, tending the wounded. He was at the memorable "Sit-Down Strike" at Flint, Michigan, in 1936-7, (8) and on the picket line during the "Great Waterfront Strike" of 1934. (9) She's Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony. He's Eugene Debs, Joe Hill, Harry Bridges, John L. Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Walter Reuther, Phil Berrigan, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar E. Chavez. They are the names of just a few of the Hero/Patriot types, who are part of our inspirational wellspring.
In the vanguard for democracy and justice in this country are the activists of the the Anti-Iraqi War and Pro-Impeachment Movements. (10) Daily, more people around the country are joining them in their noble enterprises. Workers displaced by out sourcing and angered by unfair tax policies which favor the grasping rich have had enough of Vulture Capitalism. (11) Ninety-five percent of the wealth of the country is held by only one percent of the population. (12) Environmentalists concerned about global warming want effective policies implemented now to save the planet. People on Social Security are wondering why their benefits are taxed, while many mega corporations pay little or no taxes. (13) Forty eight million people in this country don't have any health care. (14) The cost of the Iraqi War in innocent lives and wasted money persists, with no end now in sight. Over 650,000 Iraqis are dead, 2,937 American troops have been killed and 22,000 or more wounded. (15) Bush has created a hellish Civil War in Iraq. Now, he wants to "stabilize" it by sacrificing more of our sons and daughters, while the Neocon and Globalist schemers, including Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, cheer him on. (16) One U.S. Senator, a Republican, Gordon Smith (OR), now believes the present policy in Iraq may even be "criminal." (17)
Finally, millions of people in this country are determined to see to it that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are impeached and removed from public office. (18) Rep. Cynthia McKinney's (D-GA) introduction, on Dec. 8, 2006, of "Articles of Impeachment" is symbolic of that fact. (19) Some also intend to ship the dangerous duo of Bush and Cheney off to "The Hague" to stand trial on war crime charges. The people, propelled by the mythical figures of old, and the heroes of our past struggles for social and political justice, will not be stopped in their pursuit of justice.
Notes:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwiSyIbeYjI 2. http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/38/10216/ printer 3. http://www.answers.com/topic/cindy-sheehan-1 4. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ and http://www.motherjones.com/bush_war_timeline/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6azuS-8-hY 5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVyJKTuuqhg 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_(mythology) 7. African-Americans made up about "ten percent" of General Washington's military manpower at Valley Forge. A "hefty" percentage of the troops belonged to the Irish, with the Germans "not far behind," according to Thomas Fleming's compelling "Washington Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge." Almost all the soldiers there, he wrote, were "in their teens or early twenties, unmarried and poor." 8. http://community-2.webtv.net/uhhuhdotcom/uhhuh/ 9. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0348/is_1_40/ai_54308717 10. http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/37548 11. http://www.economyincrisis.org/ 12. http://www.lcurve.org/ 13. http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3415.cfm 14. http://www.workingamerica.org/issues/healthcare.cfm 15. http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php? option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182 and http://icasualties.org/oif/ 16. http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp? articleID=17345 and http://www.pchrgaza.ps/ 17. http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002104.php 18. http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/ 2006/11/28/p12500#more12500 19. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/16232
© William Hughes 2006.
William Hughes is the author of "Saying 'No' to the War Party" (Amazon.com). He can be reached at liamhughes@comcast.net.
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